


Four Swords Meta Archive

by Kaenith



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: Character Analysis, Meta, Nonfiction, Translation Analysis, archived from hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com, cross-posted from tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-11 23:16:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 15,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16861897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaenith/pseuds/Kaenith
Summary: An archive of meta and headcanons saved from my Tumblr blog (hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com).  Covers a wide variety of subjects - chracter analysis, translation comparisons, plot speculation, etc etc.





	1. Reflections in the shattered mirror

**Author's Note:**

> These are... roughly chronological, though I also made efforts to keep posts with a similar topic together, so it's not precise. I may be adding more posts later, and I'll probably be trying to maintain the roughly-chronological order, so new chapters may appear between already-posted chapters.
> 
> Please keep in mind that these are archived posts from over the course of years on my personal blog - I may not necessarily still hold the same opinions as I did back then!
> 
> Also, several of these take the form of conversations between myself and other Tumblr users. I've linked to each of them in the summaries of the chapters where they appear - credit where credit's due!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter focuses on Shadow's sacrifice scene, from a Vio/Shadow point of view, and with particular attention paid to the reflections visible in the Dark Mirror as it shatters. This is a conversation between myself and Sinnomatic (who can be found on [Tumblr](http://sinnomatic.tumblr.com/) and [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinnomatic/pseuds/Sinnomatic)), so please give him credit for the parts of this that are his!
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr July 6th, 2015  
> Sinnomatic's original post: [sinnomatic.tumblr.com/post/123276083029/](http://sinnomatic.tumblr.com/post/123276083029/shadow-x-vio-panel-i-always-overlooked-and-no-one)  
> Follow-up comment thread:  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/123432121173/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/123432121173/i-saw-your-post-about-why-you-ship-vio-and-shadow)  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/123438873038/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/123438873038/i-saw-your-post-about-why-you-ship-vio-and-shadow)

### Sinnomatic:

Shadow x Vio panel I always overlooked and no one is talking about?

So, I was re-reading the Four Swords + manga earlier, when I noticed a panel I hadn’t thought much about every time I came across it. It was four pages into Chapter 12, this panel, here:

Now, the panel I’m talking about is the one right at the very top, showing reflections within the Dark Mirror. I never paid much mind to this panel, believing for some odd reason that it was Shadow, or simply the mirror reflecting an illusion of him, then, looking on the panel today I realised that couldn’t possibly be Shadow, not even an illusion. Shadow’s hair follows a rather erratic pattern. Each ‘spike’ seems to have a mind of it’s own, but most commonly his hair droops down at the ends, that’s especially seen in Chapters 11 and 12. Taking another look at the panel, I noticed a few things different things. You could say that the images are simply the reflections of the heroes, nearing Shadow Link, but, why then are they shown from all different angles? One coming down from the top, another at an angle. It’s clear the images there aren’t just reflections, broken mirrors tend to distort and elongate an image, but _never completely flip it around_. Not only this, but the mirror is facing the **opposite direction** that the heroes are coming from. How do I know this? If you look at the direction Vaati moves in from in the above page, you clearily see he comes in from behind Shadow. (Due to the direction his ‘tentacles’ are going). If that isn’t solid enough, there’s _this_ panel:

All four Link’s would’ve followed Vaati, who obviously came from behind Shadow. The mirror was pushed forward, it’s not facing them now and it wasn’t even when it was standing. So just why is this important? Simple. Because this means the mirror went out of it’s way to show that image. There’s not a probable way it could be a reflection. 

Now, it could be argued that the mirror had some sort of sentience. It was able to display images and certainly contained some sort of magic. It was the life source for two dark beings (Vaati and Shadow), that, to me, screams at least minor sentience. So, as an object with even the most minuscule awareness, you’d think the mirror would maybe be capable of understanding that _it was about to be destroyed_. What is a common last action that most human’s, if not sentient beings, will take when faced with death? They’ll bargain. They’ll offer the one seeking to end them something, an incentive not to continue. That’s what I think the Dark Mirror is doing here. Perhaps it’s just in my Vio x Shadow trashy nature to put an emphasis on every small interaction between these two, but my theory is that as a last ditch effort to avoid being smashed (and indirectly “killed”) the mirror is showing Shadow an image. That image is as we see up there, a panicing Vio, aghast with horror over the knowledge of just what Shadow is doing. Bargaining when one’s life is at stake a common practice, we’ve seen it done numerous times, specially when a character is about to snuff out the life of a villain, heroically taking their own life also in a kamikaze style “murder”-suicide. The villain will often barter, make the aftermath evident to the other, with a clear emphasise to the hero’s loved one/most precious item. The mirror is projecting the image of Vio, trying to show Shadow Link, trying to persuade him not to push it and end them both. _“Look at him, look at how horrified he is. Don’t do this, do you want to upset him?”_ That’s what I believe the Dark Mirror would have said if it were sentient enough to speak.

Alright, I can hear you now;  _“But how are you so sure it’s Vio?”_ Well, let’s look at the panel itself, not the page entirely.

The hairstyle doesn’t exactly scream _crucial evidence_ , considering all the Link’s have a similar style, if not with a few personalised differences. What I’m looking at here, any observant FS fan may have already possibly picked up on; _**the eyes.**_

**The only characters shown to consistently be drawn with dilated pupils throughout the manga are Shadow and, guess who?** **_Vio._ **Yes, that’s right, no matter what emotion he’s feeling, Vio is the only other character besides Shadow himself to perpetually have dilated pupils. Another facial feature to note? The eyebrows. Vio and Green are the only two drawn with these sorts of eyebrows. Red’s are a thin black line, while Blue’s are thick and black. Why bother to add in that one detail if you didn’t want people to be able identify the specific character? So, we have two possible candidates: Green and Vio. So, why can’t this be Green? Green’s pupils never seem to fully dilate, even when scared. They tend to become dull. Something to note about the character’s eyes above, also, is that the iris remains the same size, despite the pupils size.

Maybe I’m just over analysing this one panel, but honestly it just seems a little too specific, doesn’t it? The mirror **goes out of it’s way to show an image** , that image just so happening to be **Vio, arm outstretched and looking horrified over the revelation of what Shadow is about to do**. It **doesn’t show any other Link** , and it displays this image **over and over again** in it’s various cracked shards.

Okay I’m out, I’ve given myself enough feels. Peace.

### Anonymous (to Kaenith):

I saw your post about why you ship vio and shadow when searching the tag and noticed you put a lot of scenes from the fs manga, and so I figured you've probably read it enough times to have opinions and theories about some scenes. There's a person that made a post about one of the panels towards the end of the book, and I sort of wanted to ask for your opinion?? I think their name was sinnomatic, it's recent, or it should be tagged as vio x shadow. Sorry, I'd link it to you but I can't :(

### Kaenith:

[I saw it, and I really liked it!](http://sinnomatic.tumblr.com/post/123276083029/shadow-x-vio-panel-i-always-overlooked-and-no-one)

When I had read the manga previously I think I assumed that it was just a reflection, but @sinnomatic is right in pointing out that the mirror is facing completely the wrong direction for that.

He already explained the evidence that it’s Vio - and Vio _only_ \- in the shattered pieces of glass, but I thought I’d show some examples just to further prove his point:

I _was_ able to find a panel in which Green’s pupils become as small as Vio’s, but it took a _lot_ of searching, because they usually don’t.  And even when they do, compare the overall shape - Green’s eyes are much taller than they are wide, unlike the eyes in the mirror shards.  The same is true of Red, and additionally Red’s eyes rarely show the pupils at all, typically being colored all dark when they aren’t very close up.  It’s not Blue, because the eyebrows aren’t dark and heavy, and it’s not Shadow himself because the reflections lack his ~~A+ eyeliner~~ dark, “feral” rims around his eyes.  Meanwhile Vio is frequently drawn with eyes with little to no highlight, with tiny pupils, an overall shape that is wider than it is tall (or at least closer to equal than the other Links), and pale eyebrows - all traits shared by the reflected images.  (That second example for Vio is from the page right before the mirror shards - just look at the similarity!)

I think it’s still a little debatable _why_ Vio showed up in the mirror shards, though I think sinnomatic’s theory of a sentient mirror trying to bargain with Shadow is a very strong candidate!  Another interpretation I could see is that the mirror isn’t so much _sentient_ as it is… I dunno how to word this, maybe telepathically receptive?  We see throughout the manga that Shadow can control the mirror, sometimes without completely voicing what he wants it to show, we know that they’re connected.  What if the mirror shards show Vio because that’s what Shadow was thinking about?  I don’t have a strong preference one way or the other between those interpretations though, I like both of them.  ~~Also they’re both pretty shippy, so.~~

Even if a person were to argue that the mirror shards were a stylistic choice, not intended to be something that _literally_ happened, you’ve got to ask _why?_ Space is limited, Akira Himekawa has only two volumes to tell this story.  Every page counts.  They wouldn’t use up ¼th of a page for no good reason, so [the Law of Conservation of Detail](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Ftvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fpmwiki.php%2FMain%2FTheLawOfConservationOfDetail&t=OWE1ZGEzNGU4ZWI5N2RhOWVhYjBmMjkzMmE0OTIyOTQyYjE4NjNkYSw4MHBabFo1Rw%3D%3D&b=t%3A7wsV-dC_4OZRfZM8L0kG0A&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhauntinghyrule.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F123299071488%2Fi-saw-your-post-about-why-you-ship-vio-and-shadow&m=0) would imply that there was _some reason_ the authors _wanted_ us to see a distressed Vio right as Shadow commits his act of self-sacrifice, some message they were attempting to convey.  Draw what conclusions you will from that.  ;)

Uh… all of which is all a very long way of saying “I liked sinnomatic’s meta a lot and maybe made high-pitched noises of glee when I read it.”

### Sinnomatic:

Ahh thank you for providing further evidence of my point! I probably should’ve mentioned the panel in which Green’s eyes do dilate to basically slits, but you seemed to have covered it well enough!

That aside, I actually hadn’t considered the Law of Conservative of Detail before, either, so that raises a gaggle of new questions! Honestly at first glance I probably would’ve dumbed it down to fanservice, but such a small panel towards the ending of the book? Where they still have yet to show them fighting Ganon and putting the Four Sword back? It seems a little unlikely to waste a panel on hollow fanservice if we are following that law.

I always felt there was something going on between the two (that’s why they’re my (and everyone’s lol) otp XD) and this panel really just seems to solidify that fact. No matter what way you look at it, it just screams CANON. Like there’s some sort of linger affection and it’s been projected through that panel.

Himekawa might’ve just been having some fun with us, but like you said, Law of Conservative of Detail; why bother to put something in that people would be almost sure to overlook? Unless, like the law says, they wanted our attention to be drawn to this panel. To put importance to what could otherwise be overlooked and put to being just a illusion of Shadow. Why else would they work so hard to make the person reflected their easily identifiable? You could probably argue that evidence of Shadow’s lingering “affections” for his first ally are right there, hidden right under our noses. The perceptive of us probably noticed, but possibly thought it was nothing to question. With the introduction of the law, however, we see it’s more complex then just a panel for giggles. Well played, Hima.

I think this is a pretty good panel up for much speculation, and it’s nice to see other people putting in their opinions! (It’s also fantastic to see one of my favourite artists elaborating on it X3)

### Kaenith:

Of course!

I mean, sometimes authors fumble their conservation of detail, but… not generally.  And even if it was only intended as fanservice, their choice of the couple is telling.  And when you combine the hints throughout the manga with the infamous Twitter art…

I know not everyone ships them, and I can respect that, but it’s definitely canon that they care about each other a lot in _some_ capacity.   ~~And personally I’m a hopeless romantic who will go down with this ship.~~

### Sinnomatic:

Wait, the infamous twitter art?? I don’t actually have a twitter so I’ve never heard of what you could be talking about? Though I’d like to know, if that’s alright!

And yes, I think it is basically canon that they have some modicum of feelings towards each other, whether it be platonic or romantic. I mean, reading back and look at that scene in which Shadow convinces Vio to join him, Vio doesn’t seem to put up much of a fight at all. And even if it just because he has a plan, he really does seem to actually consider what Shadow’s saying.

There’s scarcely a panel Akira Himekawa wastes in any of the manga they work on, and given they had the span of two books to complete the story of a whole game, it seems a little odd to add in these various hints AND the whole arc in which Vio joins Shadow just on a whim? I don’t know, maybe I’m just expressing my theories now that I have someone to theorise with?? It sucks not having any irl friends who’ve read the manga or share your ships XD

### Kaenith:

!!!  I have actually been meaning to do a post about the Twitter art, ‘cause there was something I noticed about it recently that I hadn’t before - just hold on a tic while I pull that together.  (The TL:DR of it is: it’s really ultra shippy.)

Yeah, I think Vio and Shadow really understand each other, even early on.  Shadow knew just what to say to get Vio on his side - his persuasion was less about power, money, or fame, like a villain would usually offer, and more about understanding, seeing things on the same level.  I believe in the official translation he even said “I’ll listen.”  (There was _some_ of the offer of power bit, with “A high position awaits you in the Dark World,” and all, but still.)

And I totally understand what you mean about irl friends.  My little brother _has_ actually read Four Swords, so that’s nice, but he’s nowhere near as obsessed as I am, and I think he gets frustrated with me sometimes, haha.

(BRB, gotta go eat dinner and then I’ll make that post about the Twitter art.)

### Sinnomatic:

Oh yes!! I’m really excited for this now! You make such logical theory posts, they’re always so interesting to read v u v

And yes, I have the original translation with me ~~(I have the boxset of Zelda manga, cause I’m trash)~~ and you’re correct, Shadow really doesn’t attempt to gain favour with Vio by offering him the typical wealth, he just adds in a small promise of power. His exact words from the official translation are:

_“I want to know what you think. I’ll listen, those others don’t want to think at all, just fight. Tell me everything. I want to hear it all, we’re so similar, you and I.”_

And it really dos’t just seem like persuasion at a more in-depth look. Shadow’s speaking the truth. Though they are a team and they support one another, none of the other Links really seem to actually _get_ Vio, and that seems to make him an outsider in his own ‘ _pack_ ’, much like Shadow himself. The two really can relate on an almost intimate level!

Ah, yes I try to talk to my friends about my headcanons all the time. I actually went to my friend gushing about the mirror panel and she just didn’t overly care which got me a bit disheartened :/ (Also, sure! I have some chores to do anyway, but I’ll be awaiting the twitter post!)

### Kaenith:

[I made the post! ](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/123436549548/okay-sinnomatic-this-is-what-i-meant-by-the) I suppose I didn’t actually have much to say about it beyond “this art exists, it’s so Vio x Shadow it hurts,” but oh well.

I wish I had the official version on hand, but alas, not at the moment.  One of these days I plan to buy the original Japanese version and see if I can’t stumble my way through reading it.  (Spoiler: I probably can’t, but maybe I should liveblog the attempt if it ever happens.)

I think it’s a really interesting look into what Shadow himself values, too.  Villains frequently offer the hero something that would persuade _them_ \- money, fame, etc.  Shadow offered power, yes - we know that was a thing he wanted, too - but he seemed to focus a lot more on the understanding.  “ _Tell me everything. I want to hear it all.”_ Shadow wants to be listened to, seen, acknowledged as a person.  It’s why he got so mad at Blue for calling him “just a shadow,” and it’s why he took such a liking to Vio so quickly.


	2. The Infamous Twitter Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another conversation between myself and Sinnomatic ([Tumblr](http://sinnomatic.tumblr.com/), [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinnomatic/pseuds/Sinnomatic)), continuing off of the last one. This one focuses on a sketch that was posted to Akira Himekawa's Twitter account, which would later go on to become the inside cover of the Four Swords Legendary Edition.
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr July 6th, 2015  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/123516938428/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/123516938428/sinnomatic-hauntinghyrule-okay)

### Kaenith:

Okay!  @sinnomatic, [this is what I meant](https://twitter.com/AkiraHimekawa/status/208763645038043137) by “the infamous Twitter art.”

Basically, this sketch was done by Akira Himekawa and posted to their Twitter account, making it at least semi-official?  Semi-canon?

It’s… well, it’s pretty fanservice-y.  There’s Vio’s hand on Shadow’s waist, for start, but recently I noticed something else:

I’m fairly sure that’s Shadow’s knee, visible under Vio’s right arm.  Previously, I had thought Shadow was kneeling next to Vio in the picture, but if I’m right about that being his knee, Vio is pretty much leaning against his leg.  I blocked out the basic shapes in color to make it a little more clear.

At the absolute least, I think that the authors were aware of the potential for this ship.  I believe the case could be made that they shipped it themselves.

### Sinnomatic:

Oh yes, that’s most definitely Shadow’s knee! You can tell from looking at his body, following the direction of his tunic. If you look closely, you can actually make out the crease ~~(is that what it’s called? Or the bend? ehhh?)~~ of Shadow’s knee!

Also, can we talk about the way they’re posed? Sure, concept or just art based around the more _malevolent_ characters of a series tends to look informal like this, playing on intimidating. But even then the characters don’t tend to be so intimately close; unless, of course, those characters are in a pre-determined relationship. ~~Putting the rest under the cut!~~

Look at Vio, for instance,

To see Shadow striking such a possessive pose doesn’t exactly come off as too odd, _but Vio_? He seems like the type to not be that fond of intimate contact. He tends to stray away from the other Links and sort of does his own thing, if I remember correctly. He’s sort of a recluse. I could understand if he were posed with Shadow like this, hands crossed in his lap or something, but to have him _actually grabbing Shadow around the waist_?

And you can tell neither person is that bothered but the position. Apart from Shadow’s possessive gesture, both seem rather relaxed. Vio even looks to be going as far as to tilting his head a little towards Shadow’s chest. They both look cocky, comfortable with themselves. To see two characters with no real relations prior to this being so _comfortable_ , leaning on one another and acting so touchey-feely in a very informal way, it really does seem odd, doesn’t it? Their physical proximity from one another means they are obviously on an intimate level with one another, no matter how you look at it. They cant get any more personal unless they were looking into each others eyes! ~~And they’ve already done that sereval times, heh~~

Honestly I think anyone that looked at this art could easily mistake their relationship. It looks like they’re both the main villains, prepared to rule _**together**_.

I think I actually read somewhere that one of the women in the group remarked about how well Vio and Shadow’s personalities work together. They just seem to compliment one another; brash, sporadic Shadow, and calm, level headed Vio. Both just seem to meld together well.

~~Oh, and I actually had seen this artwork years ago, but I never knew it was by Himekawa! I just thought the name was on there as a decoration (I had no concept of watermarks years ago, heh)~~

### Kaenith:

Exactly!  I actually counted once ‘ ~~cause I’m a huge nerd~~ , and while Vio doesn’t pull away from physical affection, he doesn’t typically initiate it, either, so this is significant!

Aww, that’s a nice quote about them!  I’ve always really liked the way their personalities balance each other - they contrast each other in some ways (quiet vs. loud, calm vs. volatile) but they also have their similarities - Shadow may not be book-smart, but he’s _clever_ , and Vio I imagine has a dry sense of humor that Shadow thinks is _hilarious_.


	3. A few short Link headcanons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (That is, the headcanons are short, not Link... well, actually, he _is_ but the headcanons aren't about... oh, never mind. You get the idea.)
> 
> The original Tumblr posts:
> 
> October 22nd, 2015  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/131717036728/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/131717036728/i-was-wondering-how-do-you-think-link-from-four)
> 
> October 24th, 2015  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/131826921913/>
> 
> Jan 25th, 2016  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/138059442203/>

**Anonymous said: I was wondering, how do you think Link from Four Swords became a knight at his age anyway?**

Well, there is the question of what exactly _is_ his age?  As far as I know, we don’t have a canon answer to that.  (Although I could be mistaken?  idk)  I tend to say he’s 14~15 during the manga - it seems a bit old, based on what he looks like canonically, but a bit young, based on what he acts like and the responsibilities he has, so I guess that makes it a happy medium.

As to how he’s a knight, it helps that his dad’s the captain - Link’s been hanging around with the trainee knights basically since he was born, and he’s picked up a lot.  Even still, it’s surprising: he’s not only a knight, but a knight with a reputation that precedes him - remember how Jago (the pirate) called him “the left-handed hero” at the beginning of the manga, and was surprised to learn that the hero was a child?

Personally, my theory/headcanon is that he is _technically_ a knight-in-training, but that he has gained recognition as a hero and many of the responsibilities of a full knight due to some past adventure (or adventures) that is only alluded to in the manga.

* * *

**Anonymous said: I think I once heard you mention that Valensuela used to babysit a younger Link, do you want to tell us more about that?**

Hey, good memory!  Yeah, that was [an idea I submitted to imaginefourswords](http://imaginefourswords.tumblr.com/post/130803692626/imagine-valenzuela-babysitting-link-when-he-was-a)!

It wasn’t something I’d planned a whole story around or anything (though if anyone wants to take the idea and run with it for a fic or something, they are more than welcome to!)  Mostly I just thought it’d be cute :3  They seem to get along, when they interacted in the manga, and I liked the mental image of little bitty toddler Link following the knights-in-training around and imitating them, and Valensuela (in his early-to-mid-teens at the time) kind of thinking “well, I always wanted a little brother.”

~~Poor Green, he keeps having to fight his closest friends and family when they get mind-controlled.~~

* * *

**Anonymous said: Hi! It just occurred to me, where exactly do the Links live? Like, I assume that the Knights have their own quarters near the castle, but I'm not sure. I'm not really sure how knights used to live in real life, so I don't have any kind of reference to start with.**

Hello! :D

My usual headcanon is that, since Link’s dad is the Captain of the knights, they have their own rooms in the castle, nearby but not directly a part of the smaller rooms/barracks where the lower-ranking knights live.  (Post-manga, of course, they need more space and more bedrooms.  As it turns out, expanding that wing of the castle isn’t too much extra trouble, since there was already a lot of construction going on to repair the damage done by Shadow’s raid.)

I’m not really sure how historically accurate this is, though!


	4. *"I Won't Say I'm In Love" playing in the distance*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted to Tumblr on January 17th, 2016  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/137501396263/>

**Anonymous said: at what point do you think Vio and Shadow fell in love/started having feelings for each other?**

I think there are a lot of different ways it could have gone!  This is one of those things where it’s hard to pick, ‘cause I like multiple mutually-exclusive interpretations.  But oh well – it’s fandom, the whole point is coming up with different and sometimes conflicting scenarios!

Based on the manga, I think it was probably a gradual development.  Shadow thought of Vio as interesting and a good potential ally early on, but my best guess for when those feelings intensified/started turning romantic would be sometime around Vio’s duel with Green – it was a grand show of loyalty, after all, and Shadow values that highly.  He seemed rather giddy through the whole fight, too.

On Vio’s part, I think he started having feelings a little later, possibly when they were talking at the celebration.  However, I think he tried not to acknowledge those feelings or dwell on them – knowing what he had to do, it would only have made things worse.  I think he was still in denial, trying to convince himself it was “just a silly crush” right up until he saw Shadow break the mirror :(

… but like I said, that’s just one take on it.  Sooo many ~~heartbreaking~~ ways it could have gone *chinhands*


	5. Feeling Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the subject of Blue, and how he expresses emotions.
> 
> The first section was originally published on July 10th, 2016; my opinions have changed since then, and the follow-up from 2018 (prompted by a post by Blessed-By-Farore ([Tumblr](http://blessed-by-farore.tumblr.com/), [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blessed_by_Farore/pseuds/Blessed_by_Farore))) is more in keeping with my current interpretation.
> 
> My first post: [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/147214901053/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/147214901053/dawn-again-why-is-blue-such-a-bully-and-who-dose)  
> Follow-up thread with Blessed-By-Farore: [blessed-by-farore.tumblr.com/post/171674840620/](https://blessed-by-farore.tumblr.com/post/171674840620/something-i-just-want-to-talk-about)

### Kaenith (2016-07-10)

**Anonymous said: Dawn again. Why is blue such a bully and who dose he pick on the most? And why does Vio dislike him?: ]**

Hi Dawn!

Well, I try not to portray Blue as an _extreme_ bully.  He’s aggressive and confrontational, he’s _definitely_ got anger issues and things to work on in that regard, but I don’t think he’s a bad person, really.

I think… Blue has a lot of hang-ups about the concepts of “strength” and “weakness.”  He feels the need to posture and make a big show of being “tough,” because he can’t bear to be weak.  Like when he and Red confronted the Big Poe in the Temple of Darkness—he refused to admit he cared about the possibility of Green or Vio being hurt, because in his view, if you care about someone or something, that care can be used to hurt you.

Blue’s got so much of his identity wrapped up in that tough-guy self-image that he can react _really_ poorly to anything that might challenge it, and he can go too far in the effort to maintain it.

He’s also just a physical person in general, and prone to roughhousing.  This is not _necessarily_ a bad thing!  It can work out fine with Green sometimes, because Green likes roughhousing too!  But it becomes a problem with, say, Red, because Red usually doesn’t like it, or at least not to the extent that Blue does. Blue really needs to work on restraining himself more when appropriate.

The issue with Vio is that they’re basically functioning on different wavelengths—Vio doesn’t much care for Blue’s roughhousing either, but his usual response is to needle back with words, which just makes Blue angry and frustrated, which can lead to escalation.  I wrote more about their interactions [here](http://kaenith.tumblr.com/post/113352601951/red-and-green-okay-so-there-was-something-i) and [here](http://kaenith.tumblr.com/post/114977744078/i-dont-know-if-getting-along-is-the-best-way-to).

(Also, I headcanon that Vio has a fond, older-brother-like attitude towards Red, so he’s none too pleased with Blue for being mean to Red, either.)

I think it’s important to say that while I doubt Blue and Vio will ever be conflict-free best buddies, I don’t think they _hate_ each other, at least not by the end of the manga.  All four Links—all five, post-manga—care about each other, even when they have their differences.

### Blessed-By-Farore (2018-03-07)

There’s a certain scene in the Four Sword manga (Four Sword Plus if you want to be technical) that I think get’s misinterpreted by the fans. (See the word ‘I’ - I am aware that I may be wrong).

A lot of people read this and seem to make the same mistake that Red did - that Blue is trying to be tough and pretending he doesn’t care or worry about the others. 

I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. 

Look at the shots of Blue’s face we see here. At first, we see Blue’s typical ‘tough guy’ facade. But after Red asks if he’s worried his face drops and it softens a bit. He’s no longer trying to look tough. And the way he says it “No actually” don’t sound like something someone trying to be tough would say. He almost sounds like he’s surprised he’s not worried. 

He doesn’t like the idea that the baddies are planning something and probably have Vio and Green in a bad situation. But he’s not worried because he knows they’ll be alright. He’s sparred with Green (and it’s also implied in the manga that Vio and Green have sparred at some point). He knows that Vio is the smartest out of all of them. In a bad situation, Green and Vio are the most likely to be able to handle themselves… at least in Blue’s eyes. 

This is Blue trying to be comforting. Just moments before he was telling Red that they weren’t even looking at the read Vio, that it was a trick pulled by Shadow and there was no way they killed Green. 

Blue is trying to comfort Red and help him realize that the situation isn’t as bad as it looks.

### Kaenith (2018-03-08)

I agree!  I used to think differently (and I think [that post](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/147214901053/dawn-again-why-is-blue-such-a-bully-and-who-dose) might have been what you were referring to in your first paragraph?) but my interpretation has changed since then.  Blue is expressing his _confidence_ in his teammates - his lack of concern is because he thinks they’ll be okay, not because he’s claiming he wouldn’t care if they weren’t.

What I really think is interesting about this scene though, is that Red _definitely_ heard it the same way I initially did.  He got _mad_ at Blue for making (what Red interpreted as) such a cold-hearted statement _.  Aggressively_ mad, which is pretty unusual for Red!

I’d have been really curious to see how that scene would have continued, whether they would have cleared up the misunderstanding or not.  Unfortunately they were interrupted just then by ~~the plot~~ the Big Poe ^^;;

I hadn’t considered that it might have been Blue’s attempted at being _comforting_ , though!  That makes it even better, I think - here he is trying to be nice and reassuring for once, and Red gets all up in his face to yell at him and call him mean!  It’s a neat little study in the differences between their personalities.

_#sidenote but: #the two of them carrying out their personal drama #COMPLETELY oblivious to the monster in the room #is absolutely hilarious to me #they both make such great facial expressions in this chapter too_

### Blessed-By-Farore (2018-03-08)

I always thought that both Red and Blue were very similar in terms of how emotional they are. They’re both are shown to have very wild mood-swings all the time, so they’re probably the most emotional of the four Links. 

Red’s tend to be more sad or panicked though, while Blue’s are much more aggressive and angry, so this is definitely a cute little twist for them (even though Red is still panicking, he’s showing more aggression than Blue who seems ticked at Red’s actions… but he doesn’t look like he’s about to use force to stop him either).

Either way, it’s a shame the Big Poe had to scare them. Who knows what could have happened…

I haven’t seen that post of yours (though it was a fun read), this was actually inspired by a conversation I had with my younger brother. He wanted to watch a certain Four Sword dub while I was visiting for his birthday and he made a comment about Blue’s behavior during the scene after Red saves him… I just had to type this out after that when I realized what Blue was really trying to do. 


	6. Does Vio is Gay? (the rummor come out)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon is that Vio is gay (and asexual). While I of course respect the rights of other fans to have their own differing headcanons, I wanted to elaborate on some of the reasons why I think there is canonical evidence that Vio is not romantically interested in girls.
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on October 7th, 2016  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/151491247268/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/151491247268/)

**Anonymous said: hi! c: I was wondering, you’ve mentioned before that your headcanon is that Vio is asexual and homoromantic, but what about the fact that all four Links were crushing on Elne in the manga?**

Well, I want to state first off that this is just my interpretation and if others see it differently that’s perfectly fine.  But personally?  I don’t actually think Vio had a crush on her.

Take this scene for instance:

Three thought bubbles: “come to think of it,” “she’s pretty,” “like a doll…” Three bubbles, not four, and they clearly point to Blue, Red, and Green.  Vio, in particular, is the one with no bubble.

Now, he does have blush marks in this scene, but to be honest, they have blush marks _all the dang time_ in this manga, often for no apparent reason.  It’s just part of the art style.  If “blushing in each others’ presence” is enough to make a ship canon, then just about _all_ Four Swords ships are canon.

~~Seriously, I was making a _collage_ of times where Vio and Shadow have had blush marks while sharing a panel to prove this point before I realized I was getting off on a tangent and no one cares.~~

So Vio is singled out as the _one_ Link without a thought bubble about how cute Elne is, and blush marks aren’t good enough evidence because of the art style.  What happens next time the subject comes up?

Red is going on about how pretty Elne is, Blue tells him off for it, Red complains that Blue is just as enamored.  Vio changes the subject without comment.  On the next few pages, they realize that Green has gone outside.  When Blue finds Green having a conversation with Elne, he drags him away by the ears, saying he won’t allow Green to have alone time with her.  Still nothing from Vio.

Then plot happens and all the Links are far too busy fighting giant rocky eyeballs to worry about crushes.  The next (and final) time it’s brought up is at the end of the chapter, when Green goes to shake Elne’s hand…

… and Blue and Red drag him back, complaining that they want to shake her hand, too.  Vio, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have a horse in this race.  He just wishes they’d stop trampling him in their squabble.

Vio is, _every time_ , the one who _doesn’t_ join in the fawning over Elne.  That kind of consistency doesn’t typically happen accidentally. Typically, a pattern like that is meant to convey something about a character.

To be clear, I’m _not_ trying to say that this is conclusive evidence that he _must_ be canonically gay.  People are free to headcanon whatever they like.

Personally, my headcanon is that Vio is not romantically interested in girls.


	7. Red is a Big Damn Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An analysis of the number of times Links have saved other Links, with a focus on Red and his _rather overwhelming lead_ in this department.
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on December 3rd, 2016  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/154004429273](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/154004429273)

I’ve been thinking lately about how frequently Red is the Big Damn Hero that saves everyone else’s lives.

Here, have some numbers, because I like numbers.  I’ve tallied up every time a Link was in clear, imminent danger, without an obvious way to get out of it by themself, and was then rescued by another Link.

I may have missed some, and if I have, by all means let me know!  There are also a few arguable cases* (I’ll discuss these under the cut) but I went with my best judgement.

Here’s what the data looks like in graph form:

Basically, Red has saved other Links _twice_ as often as anyone else has.

To be fair, maybe it’s because of the way I counted things.  What if instead of giving one point per rescuer, per rescuee, I gave one point for each rescue- _incident_ , and divided that evenly between the rescuers and rescuees involved?  In that case, it looks more like this:

Okay, that makes Shadow look significantly less rescue-happy, but it does nothing to diminish Red’s lead.

So!  In light of this data, a few thoughts:

\- It would be a mistake to underestimate Red, his competence as a hero, and his importance to the team.

\- Vio does not frequently intercede _directly_ on behalf of another Link.  (In his defense, this is partially because he spent a significant portion of the manga physically separated from them, working _indirectly_ to protect all of Hyrule and, by extension, his teammates.)

\- Red’s string of rescues (often of Blue specifically!) might put this scene in a slightly different perspective:

I mean, there’s the shipy reading, and, to be clear, I’ve got no problem with that.  But I could also possibly see there being an element of Red teasing Blue about the fact that this is something of a _role reversal_ for them.   “Oh Blue, what _ever_ would I do without you around to _save_ me?”  (batting eyelashes, extra-sweet voice because flustered Blue is funny)

 **tl;dr** Red has saved his teammates’ lives way more frequently than anyone else, and they’d all be in deep trouble without him.  Especially Blue, who would still be a Linksicle.

* * *

* About those debatable cases and why I chose or chose not to include them:

The argument could be made that Blue deserves another point for protecting Red in the Temple of Darkness when Red had lost hope.  However, there wasn’t a single clear, immediate threat to Red that was prevented due to Blue’s intervention, so I didn’t include it.  (I mean, there was the giant centipede, but it doesn’t look like it went after Red and was stopped by Blue - it seems to have just straight-up gone after Blue first.  Same deal with the Poe.)  And even if you were to add a point to Blue’s tally for this (even if you were to add two points!) Red remains firmly in the lead.

Additionally, one could argue that Shadow shouldn’t get points for saving the others, because they _might_ have been able to beat Vaati on their own without his help, but honestly, things weren’t looking too good for them at the time.

Similarly, Green _might_ have been able to fight off that hinnox in chapter seven by himself… but he was alone, dazed, depleted on force gems, and c’mon, Red and Blue even said “to the rescue!”  How could I not give them the points? :P


	8. Link's dad vs. Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted to Tumblr on March 25th, 2017  
> [http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/158822450878/)
> 
> Prompted by an ask from [terminasymphonic](https://terminasymphonic.tumblr.com/)!

**[terminasymphonic](https://terminasymphonic.tumblr.com/) said: Hi, I read your Ribbon Day Four Swords fic (I really liked it, even though I don't personally ship Vidow), and one part of it sparked this question in me: I remember you describing on your art blog what the Knights in general think of Shadow, but what does Link' Father specifically think of him? I assume he's not too fond of Shadow.**

Glad you liked the fic, even if it’s not usually your kind of thing!

Shadow’s place in Hyrule is… a complicated situation, and it depends on the AU. I was deliberately vague with details like how they’re four again, how Shadow came back, etc., because honestly I still haven’t completely finalized all my thoughts in that regard.

I think the biggest issue between Link’s dad and Shadow would be the way Shadow tricked him into thinking his son was dead.  That… ouch. That’s an _incredibly_ cruel thing to do to a parent.  Possibly more cruel than Shadow realized, having never had family of his own.

But I think the captain might be surprisingly forgiving, actually.  He might see the similarities between Shadow and his son, and approach him kind of like Zelda did: “I am going to be very firm with you about what you’re doing wrong, because I believe in your potential to _do better_.”  I could even see him teasing Green about it:

> **Captain:** I can handle him – I put up with _your_ rebellious phase, didn’t I? *grin*
> 
> **Green:**   *flashback to the “am I really this bad?” crisis he had right after the four split*  D:


	9. >;D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted to Tumblr on May 7th, 2017  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/160423554378/>

Something cute:

People have commented before on the fact that Blue winks a lot in the Four Swords manga…

… and I’ve just noticed that in volume two, when they’re talking about the ways they’ve grown, Red says he’s realized the importance of self-reliance and wonders if he’s gotten any tougher.  _And he winks!  
_

I think I headcanon that he was deliberately imitating Blue, because Blue’s who he thinks of when he imagines “a tough person.”


	10. Shadow could *totally* seal Vaati up again, nbd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of character analysis of Shadow and Vio, once again featuring Sinnomatic ([Tumblr](http://sinnomatic.tumblr.com/), [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinnomatic/pseuds/Sinnomatic))!
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on July 14th, 2017  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/162990985173/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/162990985173/something-i-noticed-while-re-reading-four-swords)

### Kaenith

Something I noticed while re-reading Four Swords (again):

> _“I’m the one who woke Vaati up.  It’d be just as easy to seal him away again!”_

What exactly did Shadow think he was going to _do_?  And whatever it was, why didn’t he _do that_ instead of… y’know.  What he actually ended up doing.  Because I highly doubt his plan at _this_ point was to break the mirror.

Could be there was something he could have done, but by the time he switched sides there was some reason it was no longer an option.  (Maybe it would have taken too long, when there was an immediate threat?  Or some other reason?)  If this is the case, I’m really curious what the plan _would_ have been.  Certainly a lot of potential there for fix-it fic, if there’s a way of re-sealing Vaati that doesn’t also “kill” Shadow.

 _Or_ it could be he’s lying or exaggerating here, bragging in front of Vio.  Which is… well.  Dear Goddesses, Shadow, could you _be_ any less subtle about your crush?

### Sinnomatic:

I don’t know if you wanted an actual discussion on this, but I’m here to provide either way B]

If I remember correctly (and I’m counting on memory, because I haven’t read the manga in a bit and it’s too dark n cold to go get it from my shelf right now haha ^^“) when Vaati had to be sealed away, I believe beforehand the Links had afflicted a huge amount of damage to Shadow with Light? I specifically remember him struggling to hold his form when he pretended to be Vio (also, still not over that) eventually growing so weak he had to crawl up the stairs of the tower.

Perhaps Shadow did have a contingency plan, just not one that accounted for either A) him being heavily damaged B) Vaati being in his final form and more powerful then planned for or C) a combination of both  
Maybe he could’ve sealed Vaati away without having to break the mirror and “kill” himself had the Links not blasted him with Light whiiiicch kind of makes the last few scenes all the more bittersweet cause like,, can you imagine if Vio thought back to this and realised that if their final confrontation hadn’t gone the way it did, maybe Shadow wouldn’t have had to resort to breaking the mirror like he did? Yikes.. (I’m just too into angst and I need to s t o p)

Or maybe he really was just trying to brag in front of V, because, if I recall, he was always somewhat boastful (ie, taunting the other Links for having Vio choose him over them, being quite the little show off riding his freaking DRAGON over Hyrule, showing off the Dark Mirror to Vio and talking about the power it (subsequently he) held). So it’s totally plausible he could’ve been trying to show-off in front of his crush like the big ol egotistical dork he is, like “hey bb, look at all my power~ let’s rule together >;}”

Anyway TL;DR: Shadow definitely could’ve had the means to seal Vaati away, had the situation been different - ooor he could’ve just been trying to show off to his crush as Shadow tends to do

### Kaenith

That’s true - by the time Shadow had his change of heart, he was in a _severely_ weakened state from being blasted with Light from the Four Swords.  And if that’s the reason breaking the mirror was the only option… ouch ;A;

I’ve had the thought before that if I could pick just one panel from the manga and get to hear the character’s complete internal monologue for that panel, I might choose this one:

It’s the moment when Vio realizes Shadow had been impersonating him, and you can tell from his expression (and from his reputation - c’mon, it’s Vio, he’s smart) that he’s put together a few more pieces based on that information.  It’s hard to say to what extent he’s figured it out already, but whatever it is, he looks completely shocked, even alarmed.  That close-up of Vio’s face takes up a large portion of the page, too, so it’s clearly something Akira Himekawa wanted us to pay close attention to.

I think the revelation that Shadow had switched sides, that he was _helping_ them, really threw Vio off-kilter.  He’d been able to do what he’d done so far, despite lingering guilt, based on the belief that it was the only way: that Shadow wouldn’t/couldn’t change.  In that one panel, he’s just realized he’s been proven wrong.  His mind must have been reeling from that point on - recalculating, re-contextualizing, trying to figure out where things could have taken a different path, if he’d just said something different, done something different…  To add onto that, if your theory is correct, the realization that Shadow could have changed _and survived it_ if not for Vio’s actions… well.  I repeat.  Ouch.

As for whether Shadow’s words were truthful or boastful, personally I don’t favor one explanation over the other.  It could easily be both, too - even if Shadow’s not lying about being able to seal Vaati away, he’s still _bragging_ about it.  Because you’re right: he does that a _lot_ , especially around Vio.  Shadow’s got quite a few hangups about being seen, acknowledged, appreciated, and he was absolutely _gleeful_ about the opportunity to impress Vio with all his boasting.

(Slightly tangential, but cute, note: he doesn’t just like to brag _to_ Vio, he also likes to brag _about_ Vio.  He compliments Vio’s intelligence multiple times, and he was singing Vio’s praises while taunting the other three about Vio switching sides.  Shadow thinks Vio is _amazing_ and he’s downright thrilled that Vio chose him over them.  ~~Which of course makes it bittersweet because Vio _didn’t_ , actually, and whoops now we’re back in angst-ville.~~)


	11. "Team schmeam!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Vio, pride, and plans.
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on July 14th, 2017  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/162996475528/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/162996475528/i-think-my-favorite-thing-about-vio-as-a-character)  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/162997634413/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/162997634413/how-long-do-you-think-vio-was-willing-to-stay-with)

**Anonymous said: I think my favorite thing about Vio as a character is that despite being smart he will ignore the logical choice for his pride. If I remember correctly one of his first lines was pretty much 'I could work with you but I won't'. He actively chooses yo be extremely uncooperative for his pride. You can also see it when he encounters Shadow and excepts his offer. Like he stranded himself in enemy territory with no way of contacting anyone for the chance to learn something.**

Yep – “Team schmeam!  I don’t need any help.”  (According to the official translation, anyway.  That sounds like such awkward phrasing from Vio, though, so I tend to prefer the fanlation’s “no need for allies” or the dub’s “I don’t have any need for your assistance; I’m a one-man team” for that line)

It’s a big theme in Four Swords – not just for Vio, but for most of the characters. Their egos are one of the major factors keeping them from working well as a team early on.  It’s when they start to grow past that, to acknowledge their own flaws and others’ strengths, that they are able to truly come together as an effective team.

A lot of Vio’s character development has to do with learning that as smart as he may be, he is in fact still capable of misreading a situation, miscalculating an outcome, or misjudging a person.  Which ties back in to that last meta post :P

(Not sure I’d categorize the “traitor” decision in the forest as an illogical choice based on pride, though?  He wasn’t forgoing his teammates just to satisfy idle curiosity or boost his ego: his options were very limited, and while agreeing was certainly a risky move, I don’t really see how _refusing_ would have been the more logical choice at that point.)

_#and then there's Red #who actually needed a confidence BOOST for HIS character development ^^;;_

* * *

**Anonymous said: How long do you think Vio was willing to stay with the villains if he hadn't found out about the mirror? Do you think that he would've stopped if he hadn't found out within a certain period of time? How do you think he would have gotten away? I'm sorry if I'm bothering you but these are some questions I've had I mean he didn't know about the mirror prior to his 'betrayal' right.**

Hmm… good questions that are difficult to answer.  I mean, what would any of them have done if it wasn’t for the mirror?  If Shadow and Vaati were just Dark Mirror-levels of powerful and invulnerable, without it being contingent on that big obvious fragile target, how would they have been defeated at all?

I feel that Vio’s plans were very reactive at that point - staying alert, but without enough information to plan ahead (as you are correct, he didn’t know about the mirror until quite late in the “betrayal” arc).  Whatever he did would depend heavily on whatever _Shadow_ did, in this case instead of showing him the Dark Mirror.

Extrapolating from one of the conversations he and Shadow had - where Vio encouraged Shadow to help him defeat Vaati and Ganon so the two of _them_ would be the ones in charge instead - I wouldn’t be surprised if he had some vague, flexible, long-term thoughts about sowing discord among the ranks and letting the Dark World army simply collapse in on itself with in-fighting.


	12. Japanese part 1 (names)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An analysis of the Japanese version of the Four Swords manga, with a focus on how the characters' names are written.
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on July 22nd, 2017  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/163303554753/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/163303554753/i-want-to-talk-about-something-from-the-japanese)

I want to talk about something from the Japanese version of Four Swords +, but first I need to talk a bit about the Japanese language in general:

Japanese has three writing systems - hiragana, katakana, and kanji.  Hiragana and katakana (referred to collectively as “kana”) are both syllable systems where each symbol represents a sound.  Hiragana is the more common of the two, with katakana mostly being used for things like loanwords from other languages, or for onomatopoeia.

Kanji, on the other hand, might have various different pronunciations depending on context.  When there’s potential for confusion about what reading is to be used - for example, if it’s an obscure kanji, or an obscure reading of a more common kanji, or if it’s a book aimed at young readers or non-fluent speakers - small kana may be added alongside the kanji to give the pronunciation.  These small kana are called “furigana.”

([example from Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furigana))

As for how this relates to Four Swords?  Well, in Four Swords +, the Links’ names are given the kanji for their corresponding colors, but instead of the usual pronunciation for those kanji, the furigana gives the English versions of their names in katakana.

緑 would usually be みどり (midori), but instead it’s グリーン (Guriin | Green)

赤 would usually be あか (aka), but instead it’s レッド (Reddo | Red)

青 would usually be あお (ao), but instead it’s ブルー (Buruu | Blue)

紫 would usually be むらさき (murasaki), but instead it’s ヴィオ (Vio)

Neat, huh?

Shadow is the exception to this.  He is occasionally _described_ as “a shadow” using the影 kanji (pronounced as かげ | kage), but when he’s referred to by name it’s always in plain katakana as シャドウ リンク (Shadou Rinku | Shadow Link) or more simply シャドウ (Shadou | Shadow).


	13. Truly Wise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An analysis of Vio's character arc over the course of the manga, prompted by a post by [Midnapanda on Tumblr](http://midnapanda.tumblr.com/post/165760678951/wait-i-just-thought-of-something-i-could-be)
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on September 27th, 2017  
> [hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/165808872443/](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/165808872443/midnapanda-wait-i-just-thought-of-something-i)

### Midnapanda:

Wait, I just thought of something. I could be wrong since I haven’t read the Four Swords manga in a while, but doesn’t Vio have little to no character arc? I mean there’s the thing where he’s pretending to be on Shadow Link’s side, but I don’t remember his character changing much?? Blue went from the guy that’s hard to get along with™ to the guy that’s like a big brother that lovingly teases you every once in a while™. Red himself said that he feels like he’s gotten stronger and more confident. Green learns the value of allies. Vio??? Doesn’t think the other Links are really beneath him anymore as time goes on????? I don’t know, help me out here.

### Kaenith:

Well, the way Vio describes it himself is “I learned ‘smart’ and ‘wise’ aren’t always the same thing.”

Green, Blue, and Vio all had to learn some variety of “your teammates all have their own strengths to contribute, and being on a team means you’re at your best when you support each other and rely on each other when necessary.”  One example of this, in Vio’s case, is the fact that the other three rescued him when he was tied to the pillar and about to be dumped in the lava - I don’t see how he could have gotten out of that on his own, and judging by the look on his face, neither could he.

Vio’s growth throughout the manga had a lot to do with taking his pride down a peg, accepting the fact that he is capable of making mistakes, of misreading a situation or a person.  This is shown in both big and small ways - things like underestimating Green during their duel and getting his foot stomped as a result.

Or, for another example, I believe his actions during the betrayal arc were calculated based on the assumption that Shadow could not be convinced to willingly stop causing harm.  The later revelation that Shadow had, in fact, switched sides caught Vio completely off-guard, forcing him to re-evaluate, and the resulting shift in his opinion is pretty evident.

To go back to Vio’s own description of his growth - “smart” versus “wise” - I think that’s very much related to the confrontation of his own arrogance.  You can know a lot of facts and clever chess strategies, and maybe that makes you “smart,” but a really “wise” person is both clever _and_ aware of their own limitations.  Someone who is _wise_ is flexible, willing to change their opinion when provided with new information.  They’re capable of admitting their own fallibility, and acknowledging their mistakes, and they become wiser still by learning from them.

By learning to work with the other Links and value the different kinds of strength they each bring to the team, and by accepting his own limitations and capacity to make mistakes, Vio goes from being simply “smart” to being truly wise.


	14. A+ object permanence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted to Tumblr on February 10th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/170735168553/>

At the beginning of the Four Swords manga, after Shadow kidnaps Zelda, he takes the center piece of her decorative armor.  He tosses it to the Links the next time he sees them, presumably to taunt them with the proof of the Princess’s capture.

(It’s a bit needlessly dramatic, to be honest, considering they _watched it happen_.  They _know_ he has the Princess!  Then again, “needlessly dramatic” is pretty much Shadow in a nutshell, so…)

Well, I was looking up costume references for Zelda, and it occurred to me to check whether Zelda was still missing the armor piece in later appearances.  And as it turns out, she is!  Throughout the rest of the manga, she’s depicted without the center piece of her armor.

A+ attention to detail, Akira Himekawa!

But you know who _didn’t_ pay quite enough attention to detail?

Vaati.

When he disguised himself as Zelda, he included the armor piece, despite the fact that she wouldn’t have had it at that point.  None of the other characters catch the hint (the Captain wouldn’t have known she’d lost the piece, and the Links were too distracted to notice) but I think it’s cool that Akira Himekawa included a detail like that!


	15. (not) in shining armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation about Link's job as a knight, and the sort of training and equipment he would have! Featuring [terminasymphonic](https://terminasymphonic.tumblr.com/) and pastfourswords (whose blog was deactivated, but can now be found on Tumblr as [dualsquelcher](http://dualsquelcher.tumblr.com/))!
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on February 20th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/171103179108/>
> 
> With a follow-up on March 12th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/171814811618/>

### terminasymphonic:

So…something I’ve always wondered about the Four Swords manga (okay, I wonder a lot of things about this manga) is the Links’ general attire. Like, they’re knights, so why do they just go around doing their duty in what appear to be plain old tunics? I guess you could argue that they can’t wear full plate armor for practical reasons (like their small sizes and seeming lack of bulk probably makes them more adept at speed, and thus they would not want to be slowed down by heavy armor). But even with that, they don’t appear to wear chainmail under their tunics, or anything similar to that. I just feel like being a knight would require, like, a dress code of some sort. Especially when their in danger of being sliced in half in a fight.

### Kaenith:

It’s probably not a good investment to make plate armor for a still-growing teenager - less than a year later he wouldn’t fit it anymore, and you’d have to make a whole new one.

The lack of chain mail is a good point!  I imagine the Doylist explanation is simply that it would clutter up his design - it’s not how he looks in the game, and considering the simple, cartoony style, a straightforward design with few unnecessary frills is best.

But coming up with explanations from a Watsonian perspective is more fun, so… Link didn’t really pause to “suit up” before chasing after Shadow.  He was still wearing the same things he’d been wearing when he and his dad got back from fighting Jago’s pirate gang.  Of course, Link probably _should_ have been wearing chain mail or leather armor for that, too, but maybe he didn’t feel like the pirates were enough of a threat to be worth it.  Considering his attitude early in the manga, I could see it being a long-running argument between Link and his father:

 

> **The Captain:** Link, don’t run off on your own like that!  You’re not even wearing your chain mail!
> 
> **Link:** Aaaw c’mon, it’s hot and uncomfortable and it only slows me down!  I’m way faster than any of those pirates, they won’t lay a finger on me.  Just watch!
> 
> **The Captain:**   Hey!  Get back here!
> 
> **Link:** (shouting over his shoulder as he dashes away) _haha_ I’m faster than _you_ , too!

### pastfourswords:

If I may chime in my own two cents here, Link probably isn’t a full fledged knight yet.

Basing this on actual history here, boys only started training at age 7 as pages. By 14, they became squires, and didn’t become actual knights until they were 21. Seeing as Link is only around 12-14 in the manga, he’s probably only still a page/squire, depending on your headcanons. Pages and Squires didn’t wear armour, so I’d say thats why Link isn’t wearing any.

(I’d say this is also supported by Zelda saying “In time he will become a fine knight” which makes sense in the context that Link isn’t an official knight yet)

Why he’s called a knight? I’m not sure, perhaps it’s because his father is the captain, who know. In any case, calling him a knight is much easier than a squire and page and maybe is just down to storytelling

On a slightly related note, pages had to learn to sing and dance, so there’s a fun tidbit !!

-mod tai

### Kaenith:

Yes, I would agree that Link is most likely a squire, not a full knight.  Though perhaps after the events of the manga they might consider knighting him early - he has certainly proven himself!

I still think a squire ought to be wearing _some_ kind of defense if he’s going into a combat situation - even if it’s just leather or mail, rather than full armor - but, well… that’s reckless, over-confident, early-manga Link for you ^^;;

And I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume that, as the captain’s son, Link is further along in his training than many squires would be at the same age.  Perhaps… here’s a cute thought: what if people calling him a “knight” even though he’s young for the title is actually something like a nick-name that stuck?  Like, what if Link’s dad has been calling him “little knight” ever since he was a very small child?  I’m imagining him watching the knights train from the sidelines, straining to lift his dad’s sword even two-handed, head completely engulfed by his helmet.

And I didn’t know that about the singing and dancing!  That’s pretty cool! :D

### pastfourswords:

Given that squires had a lot of chores to do that involved cleaning weapons especially, Link may have been cleaning a sword and just rushed out at the first mention of pirates, explaining why he wasn’t wearing armour in that situation aha

also thats a rlly cute image of little link !!

### Kaenith:

oooh my gosh headcanon accepted xD

He’s sitting around doing his chores, bored out of his mind, when he hears his dad say the word “pirates” to one of the other knights, and he’s jumped to his feet and run out the door before anyone can even think to stop him.

Wasn’t even _his_ sword.

### Anonymous:

Soooo, you know how you have a theory in the Four Swords manga, Link heard the word ‘pirates’, and Immediatly ran off with whatever sword he was holding? It was Valenzuela’s. If you look at the picture where he’s holding the sword up in front of his face, you can see a v on the hilt.

### Kaenith:

([referencing this](http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/171103179108/pastfourswords-hauntinghyrule), also [@pastfourswords](https://tmblr.co/mgqDABrGU5Oc1wPUtfh_10A) since it was originally their idea)

_!!!_

  



	16. Japanese part 2 (translation comparison)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comparing the official VIZ English translation and one of the fan-translations to the original Japanese text.
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on March 10th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/171741419538/>

Recently I’ve been having fun going back and forth between my English and Japanese versions of the Four Swords manga and comparing them.  It’s good practice, and it’s giving me all the emotions about my favorite manga all over again 💚 ❤️ 💙 💜 🖤

(Disclaimer: I’m not fluent in Japanese, and if anyone else has a correction or addition to make, they are more than welcome to!)

* * *

**Original Japanese:**

  * **Erune:** ほんとうに同じ顔だわ。あなたたち、４つ子？
  * **All Links:** とんでもない！！ こんなやつらと



**My translation:**

  * **Erune:** It really is exactly the same face.  Are you four quadruplets?
  * **All Links:** Absolutely not!  (Ugh… with guys like these?)



Please look at [jisho.org’s translations for “とんでもない” (tondemonai)](https://jisho.org/word/%E3%81%A8%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7%E3%82%82%E7%84%A1%E3%81%84), the various _highly_ offended rebuttals make me giggle:

> 1\. unthinkable; unexpected; outrageous; offensive; terrible
> 
> 2\. absolutely not!; not at all!; far from it!; impossible!; preposterous!; what a thing to say!; no way!; bullshit

Imagine each of the Links responding with a different one: **Green:** “Impossible!” - **Red:** “No way!” - **Vio:** “Preposterous!” - **Blue:** “Bullshit”

And, this is interesting: this question was actually brought up and refuted _twice_.  The official translation just has Erune asking if they _know_ Link, but in the original version she gets confused and asks if Link is actually four brothers:

**Original Japanese:**

  * **Erune:** 勇者リンクって、４つ子だったにの！？
  * **All Links:** ちがいます！ ってば



**My translation:**

  * **Erune:** What!?  The hero Link is quadruplets!?  
****
  * **All Links:** It’s not like that!



That final “ってば” is a sentence-ending that indicates frustration - they’re getting a bit annoyed with her.  Also, look at the little English “no”s, even in the Japanese version - gotta set the record straight in _two_ languages, then maybe it’ll stick!

* * *

The official translation of this one has _always_ been such a pet peeve of mine.  I mean, c’mon, “ _naughty”_?  It doesn’t fit the tone of the scene at _all_. And what kind of villain actually thinks of themself and their cause as “evil”?  I much prefer some of the fan-translated versions I’ve seen, which have Shadow calling Vio “worse than normal evil” or “the _worst_ kind of evil.”

 **Original Japanese:** はじめから、すべて芝居だったというわけか。悪よりも悪どいやつだぜ、おまえは！

 **My translation:** Was all an act, from the very beginning?  You’re eviler than evil!

Okay, “eviler than evil” sounds pretty cheesy too, but it’s my best attempt at a literal translation.  He does use the kanji for “bad / evil” ( 悪 ) twice, so that’s why I went with that.  For a translation that sounds appropriately heartfelt in English, though, I’d still favor “the _worst_ kind of evil.”

I’m a little disappointed that the “very clever” in the first panel isn’t actually in the original version!  Shadow’s habit of complimenting Vio’s intelligence is cute, and him doing so even in a situation like this is kind of heartbreaking.  On the other hand, the fact that the sentence was originally phrased as a question (with a “か“ ending) is its own kind of heartbreaking, I feel.  Their “friendship” meant so much to Shadow, and he wants to know, after this… was _any_ of it real?  Did it mean _anything_ to Vio?

(And of course, I believe the answer is yes, it did… it had started to… but Vio can’t show that, not right now.)

* * *

This one’s really brief, and not particularly interesting translation-wise, but I wanted to point out: this printing error in the English version, where Vio and Red’s speech bubbles are switched?  Happened during translation.  It’s fine in the original, so don’t blame Himekawa!

  * **Red:** どうしたの、ヴィオ？  (What’s wrong, Vio?)
  * **Vio:** まったく気づかなかった自分にショック。(I’m shocked, I completely failed to notice.)




	17. Japanese part 3 (now with more Vio/Shadow!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted to Tumblr on March 16th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/171948262243/>

More English/Japanese Four Swords comparisons, this time with even more character analysis, because OTP reasons.  And also just “Vio” reasons, because Vio is someone who plays his cards very close to his chest, and it makes him a fun and challenging character to analyze.

Most of this was translated pretty accurately, except that first speech bubble.  The “flattery” Vio is objecting to isn’t Shadow calling him “devious.”  It’s actually “ヴィオ、おまえは最高の仲間だぜ” - “Vio, you’re an excellent friend" *

Yeah.  Ouch.

Vio’s whole plan was to fake an alliance in order to get Shadow talking, so Vio could learn as much as possible about the Dark World’s forces.  Strategically, objecting or downplaying is the _last_ thing he should be doing here - yet he does!  “よせよ、おせじは” - ”Enough with the flattery!”

This line of conversation is making Vio _uncomfortable_. But Shadow doesn’t realize that, and he doesn’t retract his statement; in fact, he doubles down: “おせじじゃねえ。  オレははじめて、信じられる仲間ってやつを持てた気がするんだよ” - “It’s not flattery!  For the first time, I feel like I have a real, trustworthy, friend.“

This makes Vio feel even _worse_ , to the point that we get an entire dialogue-free panel just focusing on his uneasy expression.

Faking an _alliance_ \- tricking a two-dimensional evil villain into thinking that Vio is equally corrupt and self-serving, in order to learn their secrets and save the kingdom…  Vio is pretty much fine with that.

But I don’t think Vio was counting on Shadow actually taking a _liking_ to him, befriending him.  Because betraying a _friend_? Manipulating the trust and affection of someone who genuinely cares about Vio, who considers Vio his first and only friend?  I don’t believe that was ever Vio’s _intention_.

He went through with it because there were innocent lives at stake, but I don’t think he was ever _comfortable_ with it.

* * *

*  ”仲間“ (”nakama”) can be translated as “friend,” [but “comrade-in-arms” might be more accurate](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/241vcw/difference_between_%E4%BB%B2%E9%96%93_and_%E5%8F%8B%E9%81%94_to_a_japanese_person/).  It has connotations of working together toward a common goal, and is not _necessarily_ about liking each other or getting along (though it _can_ be, and especially in anime and manga, often is).  In another scene (when they confronted the other Links at the volcano) Shadow refers to himself and Vio as “ 親友” (”shinyuu”) - “best friends" - so the “liking each other” aspect is definitely there too, in any case.  (And once again, oww my heart ;n;)

I don’t know if this makes it less painful or _more_ , but: “仲間“ is the same word Green uses after Shadow’s sacrifice, to tell Shadow that he’s part of the team, that he’s their friend.  In the end, they really were 仲間 after all.


	18. Green is a Very Good Boy (but is he the *original* Good Boy?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some character analysis, mostly focusing on Green. Featuring Blessed-By-Farore ([Tumblr](http://blessed-by-farore.tumblr.com/), [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blessed_by_Farore/pseuds/Blessed_by_Farore))!
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr on April 24th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/173280164848/>  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/173407135903/>

### Anonymous:

Hey! Sorry if you've answered this before but i was wondering how you saw the links being split? Is it "Green is Link and the other 3 came from him" or "Link does not exist in the duration of the manga and all four of them are parts of him" or even something else.

### Kaenith:

I’d say Green has the most in common with the “original,” but he’s not _exactly_ the same.  For what it’s worth, Akira Himekawa _did_ refer to Green as “the classic Link” in the Legendary Edition.  (Which kinda surprised me, actually!)

I guess the differences could be chalked up to rapid character development - he _did_ get quite a wake-up call, with the other three reflecting his own bad teamwork skills back at him! :P

I think the difficult thing with this is that all _four_ of them function as complete individuals, rather than pieces of a whole.   Sure, you could find instances of the original Link being brash, sweet, or calculating, and say that that’s “Blue, Red, and Vio showing through,” but you can _also_ find instances of Green displaying those traits _after_ the split!  Because he’s more complex than “just the leader”!

And the same can be said of Red, Blue, and Vio - none of them have two-dimensional personalities.  However they were created, they clearly became unique, multi-faceted individuals _very_ quickly, and I think they continued to grow and diverge even more over the course of the story, as they each had different experiences apart from one another.

~~Which makes me all the sadder about them “going back to being one person” at the end of the manga… and also, honestly, kinda doubtful that they’d be any good at it anymore.~~

### Blessed-By-Farore:

~~Just adding on my own thoughts, don’t mind me~~

I always though it was interesting that despite the four being pointed out as having distinct ~~two-dimensional~~ personalities (’focused’, ‘smart’, ‘kind’, ‘angry’), they all acted in ways that they shouldn’t have if that were true. 

Vio lifted Green’s spirits in the second chapter, showing how he could be kind. And he’s not above getting angry or arrogant. Blue was kind and smart in the Temple of Darkness - he knew it was a trap and called BS, and he tried (And failed) to comfort Red. Red might be sweet, but even he can get mad - as shown with Blue (he also doesn’t hold back much in fights, and usually ends up saving someone). And he was smart enough to figure out that using the fire rod would have been much easier that using the lantern. 

I also think the reason Green was referred to as the classic Link might be for two reasons. The first is just his design - he’s got the green tunic and has a darker undershirt, a trait present in most of the game design for the other Zelda games. He’s got a classic Link like design, both in terms of the manga and games. 

The second is based on a personal headcanon of mine, so it’s probably not as accurate… but I like playing with the idea. 

I like to think that the Four Sword wouldn’t work for someone who didn’t have at least four past lives. The sword splits the body and soul into four, before reaching that persons past lives and using them as ‘filler’ for the person, making up for the fact that know each body only has a quarter of the soul it’s meant to have. 

Originally, the four heroes were just going to be what part they took from the original link. So the Four Sword pulled the souls of past Links that fit them. Vio got a Link that was known as being very wise, Blue got a Link that was a bit more aggressive, Red got a Link that was endlessly kind and Green got a Link that was probably a leader.

Anyway, I also worry about Link’s development after being put together as one. With the (four) Links having so much character development and different experiences, that can’t have been good four his mental well-being.  

### Kaenith:

Exactly!  They have their primary traits, but they are each _more_ than _just_ those traits - just like anyone else, really.  *shrugs*  In Vio’s defense, he said the thing about them each being a “part” of a single personality really early on - he didn’t have much evidence to work with yet.

Honestly, I’m glad they were each written as complete people.  Character interactions are one of my favorite things about fiction, and it’s hard to have really interesting, heart-felt character dynamics with only two-dimensional characters.

Huh, that’s an interesting headcanon!  Makes a certain amount of sense, too, considering the “reincarnated hero” thing in Zelda lore.

### Kaenith (later):

Kind of related to that discussion from earlier, but something I’ve been thinking about for a while… does anyone else get the feeling that of all the Links, Green seems to have the most _personal connection_ to their memories of being Link?

Not that the others don’t remember, or don’t feel emotionally connected to those memories at all - they clearly do! - but it really seems like Green is the one that feels them the _strongest_.

For example: in most situations, Red is the Link most inclined to try and find a peaceful resolution to a conflict.  When they fought the Stone Arrghus, an appeal to empathy even distracted him long enough to be caught in a trap!

But when the Links were faced with the animated armor of the Knights of Hyrule, and no way to know whether their friends were still _in_ those suits of armor, perhaps being controlled by magic, it wasn’t Red who was unable to bring himself to draw his sword: it was Green.

(As you can see there, Red is actually the _first_ to move to defend himself, piercing right through plate mail!  Never let anyone tell you Red can’t hold his own in a fight, when necessary 0_0)

When the four Links are separated, they each have their separate quests that advance the plot and their individual character arcs.  Of the four of them, Green is the only one whose solo arc connects back to his past as Link - encountering a possessed Valensuela, one of the Knights of Hyrule.

Later, they fight the Captain, Link’s father, who has been mind-controlled (yeah, there’s a bit of a running theme here).  All four of the Links are clearly very affected by this (and I would argue there’s some crucial characterization for Blue in this scene, too) but Green is front-and-center, and his feelings get the most emphasis by far.  _Green_ is the one who initially runs to greet him, _Green_ is the one who gets a whole panel dedicated to his reaction when the Captain falls.

It does seem to be a repeating pattern throughout the manga.

### Blessed-By-Farore:

~~I have got to stop hijacking your posts but this one was way too good~~

I actually worked out each of the Links Myers-Briggs personalities, and this little trait of Green’s was what helped me decided his (funnily enough, he’s an ENFJ - the Protagonist). 

Anyway, I don’t think this is because Green is more connected to his memories. I think this might just be their personalities. Vio is great at emotionally distancing himself from others, and that’s a trait displayed throughout the manga. He looks at things with logic and reason, and decides if something should be done based on that.

Blue and Red, the most emotional of the Links, would have an easier time dealing with this as well. Usually, Blue seems to convince himself that everything is just a sick joke played on them by the enemies (at first he refuses to believe in Vio betrayal, until he sees Shadow and Vio side-by-side. He also convinced himself that his father wasn’t his father, hence why he attacked him. You can see him collapsed with his sword tossed to the side when the others run to check on their father). 

While in the first fight, he doesn’t hint that’s what he did, he also seems to embody the ‘fight’ in ‘flight or fight’. It was a justified situation to use violence against his allies, and he also couldn’t tell who most of them were (which is understandable - unless Hyrule has a tiny army, Link probably wouldn’t have met every knight - probably the ones who were in higher positions or trained him).

Red seems like the most sentimental type, and the type that’s the least prone to violence. Which is far from what Red is. Red’s been shone to have a vengeful side, and I know I wouldn’t want to be on Red’s bad side. 

In case of the knights, same goes for what I said with Blue - he probably couldn’t recognize all the knights, and it’s easier to fight against someone you don’t know, but can also justify against harming (they are being controlled). Stone Arrghus seemed to figure out what Red did, and was able to trap Red by humanizing himself, making himself seem unwilling to fight because he was mourning the loss of his children (I’m pretty sure this is one of the very few, if not only, time Red actually needs to be saved).

In the fight between Vio and Green, Red tries to reason with Vio because he knows Vio isn’t being controlled. So, therefore, he should be able to get him to switch back. Blue’s ticked off and encourages Green to defeat him (he doesn’t say anything about killing, but he definitely wants Vio to have bis ass handed to him). Green was the one who offered the challenge. 

So, being controlled gets you a couple of Links who might feel a little bad but won’t hold back. But being a traitor gets you some pissed off Links who will insult the whole time they attempt to kick your ass.  

Anyway, it’s just clear that the others simply find ways to distance themselves from what they’re doing while Green won’t (seriously, look at Red in that picture - he may be the first to defend himself but he’s also got his eyes closed while he’s doing it). 

~~_These four just drive me nuts sometimes and I love analyzing them because they’re all so precious_ ~~

### Kaenith:

Nah, I wouldn’t call it hijacking! You’ve got interesting thoughts!

Ooh, Myers-Brigs Links!  I think I started to try to do that once, then stopped because it threatened to eat up a way bigger chunk of my free time than I could afford ^^;;  Character analysis is _fascinating,_ and personality quizzes are a great way to do it!  (hehe, Green as “the Protagonist” - somehow I am not surprised!)

Red _does_ have a vengeful streak, as Blue’s singed tunic can attest! xD  I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side, either.  But I don’t think Red’s temper is a quickly-triggered thing - he only “got even” with Blue more than a third of the way through the manga, and in other scenarios he tried to look for peaceful solutions first, like with the people from the village the thief kid set fire to.  It’s not just people he knows that he extends that courtesy to.  However, I could buy that the reason he was able to defend himself so readily against the knights is that he was optimistically assuming the suits of armor were empty (optimism _is_ one of the traits Vio listed for him!)

With Valensuela, my point was less about Green’s behavior during the fight (he didn’t even know it _was_ Valensuela until it was over, after all) and more about the fact that it happened at all.  It’s a meta-level, author-perspective thing: not “why does Green make the choices he makes” but “why did Akira Himekawa make the choices they made,” y’know?  The other three each had their own arcs, too, but none of them relate back to Link’s past in any specific way, except for Green’s.  If that were a single instance, I’d call it a coincidence - someone had to meet Valensuala and get the key, could be just luck-of-the-draw that it was Green - but in context of the other events, it starts feeling like a pattern.

Similarly, the fight with the Captain: it’s not about Green holding back or refusing to fight, because he doesn’t - it’s only Blue shoving him aside that keeps him from landing the final blow himself.  (And ooh I am trying so hard not to get sidetracked talking about Blue here, because that’s not the point of this post, but, uh… [in short, this.](http://kaenith.tumblr.com/post/114977744078/i-dont-know-if-getting-along-is-the-best-way-to))  What drew my attention wasn’t so much how Green behaved in the fight compared to the other Links, but how his behavior is _framed_ by the narrative.  Green is the focal point of most panels, Green is the one whose expressions are emphasized and lingered on, Green is treated as the “center” of the scene, even though they’re all participating and all suffering the emotional consequences.  Green gets an entire close-up panel devoted to his shocked tears; Blue’s equally significant “oh Goddesses what have I done?” moment is restricted to the background of a wide-angle shot.

I think you make an interesting point about the Links’ different reactions to emotionally taxing situations!  Vio _did_ show remorse over betraying Shadow, but only after the confrontation was over; in the moment, he had enough control over his own expression and body language to act completely unaffected.  Red usually looks for the bright side, but he _can_ be pushed past his limits - and it hits him hard when he is, like in the Temple of Darkness, where he became listless and demotivated because he believed they’d lost both Green and Vio.  Blue’s temper can be fickle, and he’s ready to fight as soon as someone has been classified as “foe” rather than “friend,” as he demonstrated with the Knights’ armor in the beginning, and with Vio later on.  Green’s reaction is more of a middle-ground: he’s a good strategist, weighing pros and cons, but his emotions _do_ hold a certain amount of sway over him, and if you push him far enough (like that time Shadow insulted his father) he will absolutely charge in head-first, sword drawn!


	19. Let us break your heart talking about Vio/Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For this one I think I'm just going to link the post by Blessed-By-Farore that this is a response to, because it's long and my response is fairly short, and I would feel kind of guilty about posting a chapter that's 80% or more someone else's words, even with giving them credit ^^;;
> 
> But you should go and read it because it's very good (and heart-breaking)  
> <https://blessed-by-farore.tumblr.com/post/173639186890/shadow-and-vio>
> 
> My response was originally posted to Tumblr on May 6th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/173643893628/shadow-and-vio>

### Kaenith

_(In response to[blessed-by-farore](https://blessed-by-farore.tumblr.com/post/173639186890/shadow-and-vio))_

Same!!

I think of that line where Shadow tells Vio “For the first time, I feel like I have a _real_ friend.  Someone I can _trust_.”

_“For the first time.”_

Shadow has made it to the age of _[*vague noises*]_ -teen without _ever_ having had single a friend he felt he could trust.  No flippin’ wonder he’s such a mess!  And judging by Vio’s expression right after Shadow said that, I don’t think Vio missed the implications either.

With the battle between Green and Vio, I think you’re absolutely right that it’s the sort of thing Shadow would have been taught to think of as funny.  But another thought that I’ve had is that perhaps part of it wasn’t so much _amusement_ as it was pure, giddy, _glee_.  To Shadow, Vio fighting _for_ him, _against_ his former allies, was concrete proof of their friendship.  Proof that he’d chosen _Shadow_ over them.

Of course, _we_ know it was a lie.

But I don’t believe, I really do _not_ believe, that Vio meant for things to turn out as they did.  I don’t think he began with the thought _“mwahaha, I shall manipulate his emotions and affection, then stab him in the back! >:] “_

No, it started out with _“I’ll play up my frustrations with my teammates to make these evil villains believe I am just as self-serving as they are,”_ but that opened the door for the realization of _“huh, he’s not actually a pure evil construct like I thought; he’s a person, as complex as any other,”_ which became _“oh crap genuine friendship feelings!“_ and then _“oh crap **feelings** feelings!_”  But by then, what could he do?  _Not_ betraying Shadow would mean betraying Hyrule and all the innocent people living in it.

Akira Himekawa didn’t have a lot of time or page space left to cover their reconciliation, but they used what they had ~~heartbreakingly~~ _beautifully._


	20. Vio and Shadow and sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because imagining your OTP curled up and napping together is one of life's simple pleasures.
> 
> Original Tumblr posts:
> 
> April 8th, 2017  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/159349997443/>  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/159354681438/>
> 
> April 12th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/172884852273/>
> 
> September 16th, 2018 (featuring Blessed-By-Farore ([Tumblr](http://blessed-by-farore.tumblr.com/), [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blessed_by_Farore/pseuds/Blessed_by_Farore)))  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/178166478498/>
> 
> October 7th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/178845217013/>

**Anonymous said: i drop by w/ an important concept: shadow and vio taking naps together, probably bc vio keeps himself up too late w/ books and shadow is content to sleep w/ him since he's pretty much nocturnal anyways**

Y E S

Some quiet afternoon in the library, or under the shade of a tree, or in one of their rooms.  Shadow curled up with his head on Vio’s chest, listening to his breathing and heartbeat.  Vio drowsily combing his fingers through Shadow’s hair until they both drift off to sleep.

It’s one of my favorite mental images :)

 

**Anonymous said: (Same anon from before) i feel like vio would wake up before shadow and if he had something to do, he'd have to pry off a sleeping shadow to be able to get up because he gets very clingy**

Heh.  Good _luck_ prying Shadow off - I imagine he is indeed _very_ clingy!

_#I mean #the way he slept in the manga – all curled in on himself #and how lonely he is in general #it just really seems like he’d be that way #seeking warmth and comfort in his sleep #I’msosorry this was cute and I made it kinda sad #but it’s not angsty forever! #because now he’s got Vio to snuggle with! #and the others too sometimes #whole team cuddle-puddles yes good_

* * *

**Anonymous said: Do you think Shadow would cradle Violet in his sleep...? Watch over him at night and gently trace his ears and running his fingers through his hair? Wait for him to wake up in the morning so that he was the first thing Vio Sees when he wakes up...?**

Well, my headcanon is that Shadow _does_ need to sleep too (or I guess, he won’t _die_ without sleep the way a hylian or human eventually would - his connection to the mirror keeps most things from being truly _fatal_ to him - but it’s still bad for him to go without sleep, he’ll still suffer from fatigue and such)

So it’s not like he stays awake with Vio all night, every night.  But yeah, the two of them [falling asleep together](http://kaenith.tumblr.com/post/160131401458/shhh-careful-not-to-wake-them) or watching over each other is very very important to me.  It’s such a show of trust, y’know?  And trust is obviously a pretty big _thing_ for this ship.  Something precious, something they had to work hard to regain.

Vio struggles with insomnia sometimes.  His brain is always running, always calculating… and far too often, ruminating on his past mistakes.  It makes it hard to just _relax_ and get some _sleep._ Shadow’s presence helps, distracting him with whispered conversation or riddle games until Vio finally drifts off to sleep, lulled by the soft sounds of Shadow’s breathing and heartbeat.

Shadow himself is a cuddly sleeper, curling close to Vio, wrapping his arms around him like a clingy octopus.  His childhood in the Dark World left him pretty touch-starved.  Fortunately, Vio doesn’t mind being cuddled one bit - he just lets Shadow cling, or hugs him in return, and runs a soothing hand up and down his back.

Honestly they both sleep easier with the reassurance that they’re _together,_ that they’re no longer separated in two different worlds.  It helps keep the nightmares at bay.

_#here have five paragraphs about how cute my OTP are and how much they love each other #*chinhands*_

* * *

### Anonymous:

Did u see this one post where one person tries to 'seduce' another person into coming to bed to get some actual rest. "But babe im gonna be all cold, i wanna hold u close and go to sleep right next to u". Thats shadow to vio.

### Kaenith:

Hah!  I have not seen that post, but I can imagine it.

I could also see a scenario where Shadow just wordlessly drapes himself over Vio, wherever Vio happens to be.  And Vio’s like: “C’mon, that can’t be comfortable, you’re going to get a cramp if you fall asleep like that.”

Shadow: “Well I guess you’re going to have to follow me somewhere more comfortable, then.”

### Blessed-By-Farore:

I always imagine that Shadow is just incredibly (and needlessly) dramatic when it comes to getting Vio to bed. It just gets to a point where Vio is in a fit of laughter because Shadow is just ridiculous. But Vio still can’t resist him, because it _is_ Shadow and if Shadow says that he’s dying and the only way to save him is through snuggles, then Vio will snuggle for as long as he has to. 

Though I think the scenario where Shadow just drapes himself over Vio could go in many different ways. After all, he could just start making him and Vio float until he is in a comfortable position. Or he could do any number of things.

I think Vio just has to accept Shadow wants him to get some rest. 

### Kaenith:

_#yes good #I mean ''incredibly needlessly dramatic'' is Shadow's standard MO in almost everything so #it stands to reason it'd be the same with this_

* * *

**Anonymous said: Headcanon: Vio mumbles in his sleep, sometimes full out talking. Shadow enjoys trying to talk back and likes the weird answers he gets from his bf**

Aaaw :)

This could go a lot of different directions, honestly–

 **Humor:** Vio says ridiculous nonsense things, Shadow calmly agrees with him and acts as though they’re having an entirely normal conversation.  Any witnesses (like if Vio’s fallen asleep in a common area, or if they’re out camping with the other Links) are thoroughly baffled.

 **Fluff:** Vio says something sappy and honest, Shadow gets flustered and presses his face against Vio’s shoulder to hide how much he’s blushing.

 **Hurt/Comfort:** Vio has nightmares, starts muttering “I’m sorry” over and over, clearly distressed.  Shadow wakes him up, hugs him, reassures him, offers to play chess or cards–whatever it takes to distract him and get his mind off it.


	21. Interogation hijinks!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted to Tumblr on December 8th, 2018  
> <http://hauntinghyrule.tumblr.com/post/180943643728/>
> 
> With input from Blessed-By-Farore ([Tumblr](http://blessed-by-farore.tumblr.com/), [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blessed_by_Farore/pseuds/Blessed_by_Farore))!

_[If the Links were split up for questioning...]_

### Kaenith:

 **Green:** Tells a long, rambling story with no apparent relevance to the subject of questioning.  All attempts to get him back on-topic are met with “yeah yeah I’m getting to that!”  (he never actually gets to that)

 **Red:** Tries to lie believably; can’t keep a poker face worth beans.

 **Vio:** Stares silently at the interrogator.  Sure, he _could_ construct a plausible lie, but he knows damn well it won’t match anything the others come up with, so better just to intimidate the interrogator into submission.  (Alternatively: pulls a Rose Lalonde, turns the tables, and starts questioning and psychoanalyzing the interrogator.)

 **Blue:** Tells an over-the-top and unbelievable version of events that mostly aggrandizes himself.  Blatantly contradicts Shadow’s version.

 **Shadow:** Tells an over-the-top and unbelievable version of events that mostly aggrandizes himself ~~(with a few mentions of cool things Vio supposedly did thrown in there)~~.  Blatantly contradicts Blue’s version.

### Blessed-By-Farore:

I feel like Red would act dumb (deliberately misunderstand the questions, ask what the interrogator means by the question, asks what common words or phrases mean and end up driving the interrogator nuts) or just constantly having sudden ‘realizations’. 

Other than that, I feel like this is completely canon. This is how the Links would react when being questioned. 

### Kaenith:

_#yes good #Red was the one I was having trouble coming up with something good for #so #headcanon accepted #maybe the first few times he tries to lie but can't keep a poker face #so after that he and Vio work out this strategy for dealing with it_


End file.
